scholarly journals From coprophagy to predation: a dung beetle that kills millipedes

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trond H Larsen ◽  
Alejandro Lopera ◽  
Adrian Forsyth ◽  
François Génier
Keyword(s):  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Ecological Guilds ◽  
Ball Rolling ◽  
First Case ◽  
Lowland Rainforest

The dung beetle subfamily Scarabaeinae is a cosmopolitan group of insects that feed primarily on dung. We describe the first case of an obligate predatory dung beetle and contrast its behaviour and morphology with those of its coprophagous sympatric congeners. Deltochilum valgum Burmeister killed and consumed millipedes in lowland rainforest in Peru. Ancestral ball-rolling behaviour shared by other canthonine species is abandoned, and the head, hind tibiae and pygidium of D. valgum are modified for novel functions during millipede predation. Millipedes were killed by disarticulation, often through decapitation, using the clypeus as a lever. Beetles killed millipedes much larger than themselves. In pitfall traps, D. valgum was attracted exclusively to millipedes, and preferred injured over uninjured millipedes. Morphological similarities placing D. valgum in the same subgenus with non-predatory dung-feeding species suggest a major and potentially rapid behavioural shift from coprophagy to predation. Ecological transitions enabling the exploitation of dramatically atypical niches, which may be more likely to occur when competition is intense, may help explain the evolution of novel ecological guilds and the diversification of exceptionally species-rich groups such as insects.

scholarly journals Wood Pastures: A Transitional Habitat between Forests and Pastures for Dung Beetle Assemblages

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
László Somay ◽  
Viktor Szigeti ◽  
Gergely Boros ◽  
Réka Ádám ◽  
András Báldi
Keyword(s):  
Functional Group ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Assemblage Composition ◽  
Beetle Assemblages

Wood pastures are home to a variety of species, including the dung beetle. Dung beetles are an important functional group in decomposition. Specifically, in terms of livestock manure, they not only contribute to nutrient cycling but are key players in supporting human and animal health. Dung beetles, however, are declining in population, and urgent recommendations are needed to reverse this trend. Recommendations need to be based on solid evidence and specific habitats. Herein, we aimed to investigate the role of an intermediate habitat type between forests and pastures. Wood pastures are key areas for dung beetle conservation. For this reason, we compared dung beetle assemblages among forests, wood pastures, and grasslands. We complemented this with studies on the effects of dung type and season at three Hungarian locations. Pitfall traps baited with cattle, sheep, or horse dung were used in forests, wood pastures, and pasture habitats in spring, summer, and autumn. Dung beetle assemblages of wood pastures showed transient characteristics between forests and pastures regarding their abundance, species richness, Shannon diversity, assemblage composition, and indicator species. We identified a strong effect of season and a weak of dung type. Assemblage composition proved to be the most sensitive measure of differences among habitats. The conservation of dung beetles, and the decomposition services they provide, need continuous livestock grazing to provide fresh dung, as well as the maintenance of wood pastures where dung beetle assemblages typical of forests and pastures can both survive.

scholarly journals Phylogeny of the African ball-rolling dung beetle genus Epirinus Reiche (Coleoptera:Scarabaeidae:Scarabaeinae)

2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 197 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mlambo ◽  
C. L. Sole ◽  
C. H. Scholtz
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Phylogeny ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Nuclear Genes ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Phylogenetic Hypothesis ◽  
Ball Rolling ◽  
Morphology Analysis ◽  
Divergence Dates

Recent phylogenetic analyses have pointed to the dung beetle genus Epirinus as the putative African ancestral roller group. Consequently, we tested the roller status of species in the genus with observational studies and constructed a molecular phylogeny based on partial sequences of two mitochondrial and two nuclear genes for 16 of 29 species. Tested species were confirmed to be dung rollers. Monophyly of the genus was confirmed, lending support to the synonymy of the wingless genus Endroedyantus with Epirinus. Moreover, the phylogenetic hypothesis was found to have a similar topology with a previously published one based on morphological data. A combined molecular and morphology analysis showed congruence between the molecular and morphological datasets. The loss of flight in some species and estimated divergence dates within Epirinus are discussed.

scholarly journals The role of the sun in the celestial compass of dung beetles

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1636) ◽  
pp. 20130036 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Dacke ◽  
Basil el Jundi ◽  
Jochen Smolka ◽  
Marcus Byrne ◽  
Emily Baird
Keyword(s):  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Relative Influence ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Azimuthal Position ◽  
Ball Rolling ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Celestial Compass ◽  
Compass System

Recent research has focused on the different types of compass cues available to ball-rolling beetles for orientation, but little is known about the relative precision of each of these cues and how they interact. In this study, we find that the absolute orientation error of the celestial compass of the day-active dung beetle Scarabaeus lamarcki doubles from 16° at solar elevations below 60° to an error of 29° at solar elevations above 75°. As ball-rolling dung beetles rely solely on celestial compass cues for their orientation, these insects experience a large decrease in orientation precision towards the middle of the day. We also find that in the compass system of dung beetles, the solar cues and the skylight cues are used together and share the control of orientation behaviour. Finally, we demonstrate that the relative influence of the azimuthal position of the sun for straight-line orientation decreases as the sun draws closer to the horizon. In conclusion, ball-rolling dung beetles possess a dynamic celestial compass system in which the orientation precision and the relative influence of the solar compass cues change over the course of the day.

Avermectin residues in sheep and cattle dung and their effects on dung-beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) colonization and dung burial

1991 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. G. Wardhaugh ◽  
R. J. Mahon
Keyword(s):  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Toxic Effects ◽  
Cattle Dung ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Fly Larvae ◽  
Newly Hatched Larvae

AbstractData from dung-baited pitfall traps show that dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) do not discriminate against dung from sheep or cattle treated with avermectin. On the contrary, for a period post-treatment, dung from animals treated with avermectin attracted more beetles than dung from untreated animals. This effect was more marked with cattle dung than with sheep dung. The period of enhanced attractiveness of sheep dung was restricted to dung produced during the first day after treatment, whereas with cattle dung, the effect was still evident in faeces produced 25 days after treatment. Cattle dung produced from 3–25 days post-treatment caused 100% mortality in newly hatched larvae of the bushfly, Musca vetustissima Walker (Diptera:Muscidae). In dung of day 35, mortality was 93.6%. Dung collected from sheep from 1–6 days after treatment also caused 100% mortality of fly larvae, but by day 28, no toxic effects were detectable. Field observations on the colonization of cattle pats confirmed the enhanced attractiveness of dung from treated animals and suggested that departure rates from treated dung were lower than those from untreated dung. Treated pats supported higher beetle populations than untreated pats and burial was more rapid. The potentially serious implications of the enhanced attractiveness of avermectincontaminated dung are discussed in relation to the survival of dung beetle communities.

A comparison of two types of trap for sampling dung beetle populations (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

1990 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard M. Doube ◽  
Paul S. Giller
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
Cattle Dung ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Immigration And Emigration ◽  
Rank Abundance

AbstractThe effectiveness of pitfall traps baited with cattle dung enclosed in a gauze bag and pads of cattle dung on soil as methods for sampling dung beetle populations was assessed in the summer-rainfall regions of South Africa using 17 species of nocturnal/crepuscular tunnelling beetles. Pitfall traps accumulated the catch and prevented both access to and emigration from the dung bait. In contrast, beetles had direct access to dung pads on soil which allowed colonists to modify the bait and to emigrate. The number of beetles collected was therefore the net result of immigration and emigration. On each of five occasions in November–December 1985, 40 pitfall traps and 40 dung pads were set out in the evening and the trapped beetles recovered the following morning. Overall, 3774 individuals were trapped. For most species there was no significant difference between trap types in the numbers caught but two species were significantly more numerous in pitfall traps and one species was more numerous in the dung pads. However, both methods produced similar patterns of rank abundance of species (r=0.95). There was no evidence that beetles were more evenly distributed between dung pad baits than between pitfall traps.

Experimental warming disrupts reproduction and dung burial by a ball-rolling dung beetle

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean M. Holley ◽  
Nigel R. Andrew
Keyword(s):  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Experimental Warming ◽  
Ball Rolling

Morphometric analysis of dung beetle (Gymnopleurus mopsus: Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera) populations from two different biomes in Mongolia

2020 ◽  
Vol 131 (2) ◽  
pp. 369-383
Author(s):  
Changseob Lim ◽  
Ji Hyoun Kang ◽  
Sung Hwan Park ◽  
Sangwoo Seok ◽  
Badamdorj Bayartogtokh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
The Body ◽  
Desert Steppe ◽  
Steppe Region ◽  
Ball Rolling ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Shape And Size

Abstract Studying the phenotypic variation of organisms along environmental gradients can provide insight into the influences of specific environmental factors. Mongolia, which is distributed across three different biomes, is an ideal location for studying the mechanisms that underlie such phenotypic variation over a large range of climate. The present study examined the variation in shape and size of the body in a ball-rolling dung beetle, Gymnopleurus mopsus (Pallas), in Mongolia and investigated the effects of climate on the species’ morphology. A total of 290 individuals were collected from seven sites and were analysed using multivariate and regression approaches, as well as geometric morphometrics. Body shape and size varied across the study sites and between the different biomes. Populations from the desert-steppe region had thinner bodies and longer heads than those from the steppe region, possibly to facilitate burrowing. Variation in the species’ body size followed a pattern that was the converse of Bergmann’s rule and, thus, might increase heat capacity and enhance thermoregulation ability in the desert-steppe region. Accordingly, the results of the present study provide novel insight into the influence of climate on the variation of dung beetle phenotypes.

Dung beetles attracted to mammalian herbivore (Alouatta palliata) and omnivore (Nasua narica) dung in the tropical rain forest of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico

1993 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Estrada ◽  
Gonzalo Halffter ◽  
Rosamond Coates-Estrada ◽  
Dennis A. Meritt
Keyword(s):  
Rain Forest ◽  
Tropical Rain Forest ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Alouatta Palliata ◽  
Howler Monkey ◽  
Los Tuxtlas ◽  
Nasua Narica ◽  
Ball Rolling ◽  
Species Overlap

ABSTRACTDung beetles attracted to howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) and coati (Nasua narica) dung were studied for an annual cycle in the tropical rain forest of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. Pitfall traps set for 24 h month−1 captured 1567 dung beetles of 21 species. The species Canlhidium martinto, Deltochilum pseudoparile and Canthon femoralis accounted for 62% of all individuals captured. While species overlap was high (> 80%) between diurnal and nocturnal samples and between howler monkey and coati dung baits, coati dung attracted species such as C. martinezi, D. pseudoparile and Onthophagus rhinolophus while species such as C. femoralis and Copris laeviceps were numerically dominant at howler monkey dung. Thirteen non-ball rolling dung beetle species and eight ball-rolling species accounted for 43% and for 57% of all beetles captured respectively. Dung beetles were present and active in all months of the year, but occurred in higher numbers between the months of March and October, when temperatures were higher. Relative abundance of howler monkey and coati dung in the rain forest of Los Tuxtlas was estimated at 11.2 g (fresh weight) ha−1 day−1 and at 13.0 g ha−1 day−1 respectively, a seemingly low amount for the large number of scarabs attracted to the dung.

Habitat associations and community analysis of South Texas dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae)

1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent G. Nealis
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Community Analysis ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
South Texas ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Ecological Implications

Baited pitfall traps were used to sample the Scarabaeinae dung beetle fauna in six habitats in South Texas. Habitats were defined according to their soil and vegetative cover characteristics. Most of the 19 scarab species collected displayed marked associations with a particular soil type (sand or clay) and (or) cover (shade or open). The result is the existence of distinct communities of coprophagous beetles, which differ in their species composition, species-abundance relations, and efficiency of dung removal. A discussion of the evolution of these habitat associations and the ecological implications for pasture ecosystems is included.

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